A 60-metre yacht needs six to eight fenders per side. Standard foam fenders consume an entire deck locker. Inflatable fenders solve that — they deflate, stow flat or compact, weigh roughly half what foam equivalents do, and can be made to custom sizes. They also introduce new questions: what pressure, what material, how long they last, how to repair them at sea.
Two manufacturers dominate the superyacht inflatable tier. SEARAFT (Netherlands) and Fendequip (United Kingdom) sit at similar price points and serve overlapping fleets, but they build fundamentally different products underneath the covers. One uses dropstitch construction inherited from 1950s aerospace inflatable airframes. The other uses welded-seam single-skin bladders in three material grades.
Mercer Yachting buys from both factories directly. This guide is the conversation we have with captains and ETOs over coffee, written down for those we haven't met yet. Neither brand pays for placement here. We've cited every spec to its source, flagged claims that don't hold up, and tried to land on practical guidance rather than brand loyalty.
SEARAFT vs Fendequip — in one paragraph
Fendequip is a UK manufacturer (South West UK, "Made in Britain") using polyurethane, Hypalon, or HDPVC with triple-welded seams and a 5-year airtight seam guarantee plus 10-year UV rating. SEARAFT is engineered in the Netherlands and built in Europe using dropstitch construction for higher rigidity, flat deflation, and roughly two-minute deployment. Fendequip suits buyers wanting material choice with published warranty cover; SEARAFT suits charter operations needing custom-fit shapes and rapid setup. Both are made-to-order, both deliver across the Mediterranean within 4–7 days of dispatch.
The full superyacht-fender cluster
This pillar comparison sits alongside four deeper-dive guides: how to size fenders for 30m to 100m+ yachts, drop-stitch vs welded-seam construction, Hypalon vs polyurethane vs HDPVC material guide, and inflatable vs foam fenders for superyachts.
At a glance
| SEARAFT | Fendequip | |
|---|---|---|
| Country of manufacture | Netherlands (Nijmegen) | United Kingdom (South West) |
| Trading name / parent | Airgroup Industries BV — "Dutch Floating Engineers" | Fendequip Mooring Products Ltd — maxiStow inflatables |
| Construction | Dropstitch fabric, PVC laminated, reinforced seams | Welded seam (Hypalon = quad-layer glued) |
| Material options | Single dropstitch + PVC | Hypalon / Polyurethane / HDPVC (3 grades) |
| Storage when deflated | Flat (rolls into a kit bag) | Compact — under 10% of inflated volume |
| Setup time | ~2 minutes (published) | Not published |
| Published warranty | None published | 5-yr welded seams + 5-yr fabric + 10-yr UV |
| Factory pressure test | Not published | 72 hours, every fender |
| Custom sizes | Yes — any within range | Yes — beyond standard catalogue |
| Standard lead time | 7–14 business days | Not published |
| Valve | SEARAFT-spec, paired with 5 own pumps | Leafield D7 (industry standard) |
| Cover system | NEO neoprene (own brand) | Acrylic wool + neoprene (fits 20+ brands) |
Why this comparison matters now
The Mediterranean charter season has changed how superyachts store fenders. A 30-metre yacht running Antibes–Sardinia–Bonifacio–Athens needs full fender deployment daily and complete stowage between transits, often below decks where every cubic metre matters. Permanent moorings — Florida liveaboards, year-round Caribbean rentals — skew towards foam because there's no storage problem to solve. Charter routes skew inflatable.
SEARAFT and Fendequip both target the second use case. They aren't the only inflatable manufacturers — Polyform Norway, AERÉ Marine, Megafend, FunAir, Taylor Made's Superyacht series, and the newer entrant Fendertex all compete in different slices of the market. We've narrowed this guide to the two that come up most often in fleet-management conversations: SEARAFT for its dropstitch tier, Fendequip for its multi-material welded range.
The market split is roughly this: under-25m yachts mostly stay on Polyform Norway A-series and similar moulded foam. From 25m up to roughly 80m, the storage trade-off makes inflatables attractive enough that captains seriously evaluate them. Above 80m, fender sizes get large enough (4–8 ft diameter) that only a handful of manufacturers can deliver, and SEARAFT and Fendequip are both on that list.
SEARAFT in five minutes
SEARAFT trades as Dutch Floating Engineers, registered as Airgroup Industries BV, headquartered in Nijmegen, Netherlands. Family-owned with more than 15 years of experience in inflatable marine engineering. The 2025 brochure dates the company "since 2004" while the website badge reads "since 2011" — for our purposes "more than fifteen years' experience" is the defensible figure. The same parent operates the Nautibuoy brand for premium yacht swim platforms.
The product range
Inflatable fenders are a recent extension of SEARAFT's core platforms business — they're better known in the industry for jet-ski docking stations, seapools, and modular floating platforms used by named superyachts including M/Y This Is It, M/Y Carinthia VII, M/Y No Matter What, M/Y A-Plan, and the M/Y Bliss charter. The fender range, as published in the 2025 brochure:
- Heavy-duty cylindrical fenders — eight smaller sizes (9 inch to 12 inch diameter, lengths 22 inch to 96 inch) plus eleven larger sizes from 18 inch to 3 ft diameter, lengths to 14 ft
- Commercial grade — four sizes from 4 ft to 6 ft diameter
- Military grade — single 8 ft diameter × 10 ft length
- Ball fenders — 18 inch, 24 inch, 30 inch, 36 inch diameter
- Flat fenders — six standard configurations from 3 × 2 × 0.7 ft to 16 × 2 × 0.7 ft
- Specialty items — flat fender deluxe (with optional step), beach roller, anchor ball
- Ancillaries — double-braid fender lines (4 lengths), dock lines (12 size combinations), load-spreading kit (3- or 4-point swivel), docking kits, work platforms, and the SEARAFT pump range
Construction
SEARAFT inflatables use dropstitch fabric — thousands of high-tensile threads connecting two parallel fabric panels at fixed distance, with PVC laminated to the outer faces. This is the same construction behind performance inflatable SUPs and the original 1950s Goodyear "Airmat" experimental aircraft (US patent 3106373A, 1963), with later development by Goodyear Aerospace under Earl Bilsky (US 3228426A, 1966) and NASA / USAF research through the 1950s and 60s.
The result is a fabric envelope that holds its shape under high inflation pressure rather than ballooning. Reinforced seams. Black PVC outer skin as standard; custom colours on request. Working pressure for the SEARAFT fender range sits around 5.1 psi (350 mbar) with SEARAFT's recommended electric inflator (the SCOPREGA Bravo GE2000, the published maximum settable pressure on that pump). (Note on the brochure: pressures are labelled in "bar" but should read "mbar" — 350 mbar converts cleanly to 5.1 psi; 400 bar would be hydraulic-press territory.)
What's distinctive
Three things. First, dropstitch deflates flat — fully — rather than just compact. A 12-inch-diameter SEARAFT fender folds into a kit bag. Second, SEARAFT publish a 7–14 business-day standard lead time on their website, which is the only published lead time among the inflatable manufacturers we work with. Third, the cover system: SEARAFT NEO is a proprietary high-performance neoprene developed for fender covers, available in black, navy blue, or grey, with yacht-name and charter-brand options.
What SEARAFT doesn't publish: warranty period, expected lifespan in years, denier count of the dropstitch base fabric, valve manufacturer, weld-vs-glue construction method. These are real transparency gaps and worth raising at quotation stage.
Fendequip in five minutes
Fendequip Mooring Products Ltd is registered in England, manufactured at Units 7-11 Murray Court, Wincanton, Somerset, BA9 9RX, and trades under the "Made in Britain" trademark. Family-led by Paul Chown (Managing Director) and Lisa Chown (Finance Director); Aidan Chown handles aftersales and dealer enquiries. Founded 2004, now in its third decade of trading. The inflatable line is marketed under the maxiStow brand.
The product range
Fendequip is a one-stop superyacht mooring supplier rather than a fender-only manufacturer. The inflatable products:
- Cylindrical inflatables — standard sizes from 30 cm × 75 cm up to 270 cm diameter × 350 cm length, available across all three materials
- Spherical (ball) fenders — standard diameters 40, 60, 80, 100, 150, 200 cm
- Inflatable dock fenders — up to 10 m × 75 cm
- Inflatable flat fenders, transom fenders, hawse-pipe bungs, day shapes — supporting product lines
Outside the inflatable line, Fendequip also manufactures solid-foam transom fenders, titanium pillar fenders, tender-garage fenders, anti-chafe rope protectors, fender hooks, mooring whips, and heaving weights. Personalisation runs deep — yacht-name embroidery, print, or laser engraving — all handled in-house.
Construction — the three materials
This is Fendequip's central technical story. The same standard cylinder catalogue can be ordered in three different bladder materials:
Hypalon — 1500 gsm fabric, 1670 dtex base, quad-layered glued seams (the only line that uses glued rather than welded construction), fully repairable. Fendequip's professional / commercial tier. Available in Black, Dark Blue, Military Grey, Cappuccino.
Polyurethane (PU) — 1565 g/m² fabric, triple-welded seams with a quad-layer reinforcing base, available in grey and black. Fendequip claim (vendor-published, not independently verified) about 6× higher seam peel strength than Hypalon, around 4× abrasion resistance, and 70°C greater temperature tolerance. Their broadest all-rounder.
HDPVC (Heavy Duty PVC) — 1450 g/m² premium European fabric, 1100 dtex reinforcing, triple welded airtight seams. Fendequip publish this as 15% lighter and 40% cheaper than their Hypalon equivalent.
All three materials carry a uniform warranty and quality package: 5-year welded (or glued, Hypalon) airtight seam guarantee, 5-year fabric warranty on Hypalon and HDPVC, 10-year UV rating, 72-hour factory pressure test before despatch, Leafield D7 inflation valve (a UK industry-standard valve well-known across the rib and inflatable trade), and stainless-steel D-ring or soft-loop attachment options.
What's distinctive
Three things. First, the three-material catalogue lets buyers choose by use case — commercial workboats and yard tugs gravitate to Hypalon for repairability and chemical resistance; mid-tier private fleets pick PU as the all-rounder; cost-conscious or fleet-volume buyers pick HDPVC for the price-weight advantage. Second, Fendequip deflates to "less than 10% of inflated size" — compact but not flat. Third, their fender-cover business runs as an independent revenue line: they manufacture acrylic-wool and neoprene covers for 20+ competitor brands including SEARAFT, Polyform, Aere, Maros, and Plastimo, with in-house embroidery and Pantone matching for charter branding.
What Fendequip doesn't publish: lead times for standard or custom orders, named-yacht references on their public site (Mercer has heard the 71m Feadship JUICE installation cited but we'd recommend confirming the placement with Fendequip directly), and working pressure ratings for the maxiStow line.
The construction story — dropstitch vs welded seam
The most-repeated SEARAFT marketing claim is that dropstitch "holds shape where foam compresses." This is half-true. It's accurate in a way that matters in some situations and misleading in others — the kind of nuance the current SERP doesn't have.
What dropstitch actually does: thousands of high-tensile fibres connect two parallel fabric layers at a fixed length. Inflate the envelope and the fibres act as tension members, preventing the fabric from ballooning into a sphere. The result is a stiff, parallel-faced panel that resists bending under load, much like a foam-core sandwich panel resists bending. Compared to a single-skin inflatable bladder (the Fendequip approach), dropstitch can run at higher pressure without losing shape — the consumer SUP industry routinely operates dropstitch at 12–18 psi, and industrial dropstitch with high stitch density (greater than 25,000 fibres per square metre) and strong coating adhesion (≥120 N per 5 cm) can reach 22–30 psi.
Where the marketing line gets stretched: the implicit claim is that dropstitch is universally better than foam at impact absorption. It isn't. Air at high pressure inside a constrained dropstitch panel behaves like a stiff spring — under static load or single impact, the pressure rises and the panel deflects only marginally. But under repeated low-velocity dock rub (the dominant marina use case), foam's hysteretic absorption — where the foam dissipates energy as heat across many compression cycles — actually outperforms air for total energy dissipated per cycle. A foam fender absorbs more total energy from 10,000 small impacts than a dropstitch panel will. Both are valid construction philosophies for different impact profiles.
What welded-seam construction brings:
- Mature manufacturing process. Welding marine-grade PVC, PU, or Hypalon is mature technology with thousands of hours of testing behind it. The Hypalon glued-seam process is older still and has equally well-understood failure modes.
- Material choice. Single-skin bladder construction allows three different material grades within the same size catalogue. Dropstitch is harder to vary — it's the dropstitch base or it isn't.
- Repair story. A welded seam is easier to patch than a dropstitch seam: the weld point is on the outer face, accessible. Hypalon is explicitly "fully repairable" per Fendequip; the PU and HDPVC repair story is less prominent but follows similar field-patch logic.
- Pressure-test verification. Fendequip pressure-test every fender for 72 hours before despatch — a defensible quality signal that SEARAFT doesn't explicitly publish.
- Published warranty. 5-year welded seam guarantee plus 5-year fabric plus 10-year UV. SEARAFT publishes no warranty terms.
The honest summary: dropstitch wins for static load, single-impact protection, and rigid deployment. Welded-seam wins for material choice, mature manufacturing, and published warranty terms. Neither is universally "better".
Practical note
For a charter yacht doing 22 weeks of active Mediterranean season — roughly 150 deployment cycles per fender per year — the impact-cycle argument matters. For an owner-only yacht doing 4–6 weeks of summer cruising at 30–50 cycles a year, the choice comes down to storage geometry and aesthetic preference rather than construction physics.
Sizing — beyond the rule of thumb
Every retail fender size guide repeats the same heuristic: one inch of cylindrical fender diameter for every four to five feet of yacht length overall. This is genuinely industry-standard — Jimmy Green Marine, Polyform US, anchoring.com, and most marine retailers all publish variations. It's also inadequate at superyacht scale.
The problem is that fender energy absorption requirements don't scale with length — they scale with displacement and mooring forces. A 60-metre yacht displacing 800 tonnes needs fenders sized for 800 tonnes of momentum, not for 60 metres of length. Polyform Norway's F-Series uses an injection-moulded ropehold rated against displacement. SEARAFT's brochure size table (9 inch for 18–30 ft, scaling to 8 ft for 200–400 ft) is a length-based shorthand that implicitly accounts for the typical displacement of yachts in each length bracket — but it isn't a precise engineering specification.
Five real sizing variables that captains should evaluate:
- Length overall — starting point. Use the brochure tables (SEARAFT, Polyform US) as a baseline.
- Displacement — heavy-displacement yachts (explorer hulls, working steel yachts) need fenders sized at least one bracket above the LOA recommendation.
- Freeboard — high topsides require longer fenders to bridge the gap between rail attachment and the waterline contact point.
- Hull shape — rounded or curved hulls reduce contact area on cylindrical fenders. Spherical buoys (SEARAFT 18–36 inch balls, Fendequip 40–200 cm spheres) outperform cylinders when rafting alongside another curved hull.
- Mooring environment — exposed quays, lock walls, commercial piers, and rafting positions all warrant oversizing by one bracket. A captain berthing routinely in Vilanova or Tarragona doesn't need the same fender as one alongside a quiet IGY berth in Sète.
Number of fenders: the second universal rule of thumb is one fender per ten feet of waterline length, minimum three on boats under twenty feet. Polyform US recommends at least three deployed (aft, max beam, fore) when docking. For superyachts, four to six per side is standard, with bow and stern balls added for rafting positions.
Charter operations should plan for fenders deployed daily across an active Mediterranean season (typically May to October). Mercer's working planning figure is roughly 150 impact cycles per fender per year for active charter use, and 30–50 cycles per year for owner-only operations doing 4–6 weeks of summer cruising. These are operational estimates based on captain feedback, not industry-published numbers. The expected lifecycle is dramatically different between the two profiles, and it should drive both the construction choice (dropstitch for storage when stowed below decks; welded for higher cycle counts at the same volume) and the warranty calculation.
Where each wins, where each loses
| Your situation | Lean toward | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Mediterranean charter, deep storage | SEARAFT | Flat-deflate stores below decks year-round |
| Year-round commercial / yard support | Fendequip Hypalon | Fully repairable, chemical resistance, commercial duty cycle |
| Cost-conscious mid-size fleet | Fendequip HDPVC | 15% lighter + 40% cheaper than Hypalon equivalents |
| Need long published warranty | Fendequip | 5-yr seam + 5-yr fabric + 10-yr UV published in writing |
| Custom shapes / non-standard sizes | SEARAFT | Made-to-order on every line; flat fender deluxe, anchor ball, beach roller specials |
| Aesthetic — modern matte black with branding | Either | SEARAFT NEO covers or Fendequip neoprene; both personalised |
| Yacht-name embroidery / Pantone match | Fendequip | In-house personalisation for any fender brand, not just their own |
| Naval / military procurement | SEARAFT | Publishes a "military grade" 8 ft tier; export-ready documentation |
| Rapid deployment / charter handover | SEARAFT | ~2-minute setup figure published; pump range optimised for the inflate cycle |
| Multi-brand fender fleet | Fendequip covers | Make matching covers for 20+ competing fender brands |
| Repeated low-velocity dock rub | Consider foam alongside | For permanent moorings or pile docking, traditional foam absorbs more cycle energy |
The decision rarely lands on one brand for the whole fleet. Most yachts we supply end up with a mix: a primary inflatable set (SEARAFT or Fendequip) for daily deployment and storage, plus two or three foam fenders (Polyform F-series or similar) kept on board for piling work, lock walls, and emergency moorings. Both can sit side-by-side on the same yacht and serve different jobs.
Lead times, warranties, and the repair story
SEARAFT publish a 7–14 business-day standard lead time on their website. Custom sizes and NEO covers add 3–5 weeks. Mediterranean transit from Nijmegen is 4–7 days by road freight. Warranty terms aren't published; expected lifespan isn't either. A repair kit ships with each fender — patches, adhesive, valve service tools — and small punctures or seam wear can be field-repaired in roughly 30 minutes.
Fendequip doesn't publish lead times; we recommend confirming directly at quotation. Warranty is the strongest published in the comparison set: 5-year welded-seam guarantee plus 5-year fabric warranty (Hypalon and HDPVC) plus 10-year UV rating. Every fender is pressure-tested for 72 hours before despatch. Hypalon is explicitly designed as "fully repairable" — the glued-seam construction handles patch repair well. Field-repair kits ship with every order.
For yachts mid-charter, both manufacturers can ship a replacement to the next port. Mediterranean delivery typically takes 4–7 days from either Netherlands or the UK. Air-freight rush options exist at extra cost — useful for charter handovers where a damaged fender is visible to the next guest party arriving.
The cover question
Fenders rarely deploy bare on superyachts. Covers protect both the fender skin (UV, abrasion) and the hull topsides (scuffs, friction marks).
SEARAFT NEO is a proprietary high-performance neoprene developed for fender covers, marketed as the same material category used in wetsuits. Black, navy blue, or grey standard; custom branding (yacht name, charter brand, position markers — bow / mid / stern) on request. SEARAFT also offer covers for other manufacturers' fenders.
Fendequip covers come in two materials — acrylic wool (more colour options: black, anthracite, school grey, light grey, navy blue, royal blue, red, burgundy, bottle green, taupe, beige, custom) and neoprene (black, grey, navy blue). Acrylic wool is breathable and softer on gelcoat but stretches with water absorption. Neoprene holds shape and dries faster but is less breathable. Fendequip's in-house personalisation runs deeper — silk-screen, embroidery, laser engraving — and they actively manufacture covers for 20+ competitor brands as an independent revenue line.
Practically: for yachts running SEARAFT fenders, the NEO cover is the natural pairing. For mixed-brand fleets or charter operators running both Polyform and SEARAFT/Fendequip inflatables side-by-side, Fendequip's multi-brand cover service is simpler — one supplier, matched colours and branding across the whole loadout.
How Mercer Yachting fits in
Mercer Yachting purchases SEARAFT and Fendequip direct from each factory. We are not authorised dealers for either — which is exactly why this comparison can be honest. Our pricing model is transparent: factory cost plus our service fee, no commission stacking, no exclusivity that biases the recommendation.
Mediterranean delivery runs through our established freight partners — Malta, Sicily, French Riviera, Italian coast, Croatia, Greece — typically 4–7 days from despatch. Fender, line, cover, and pump from either or both manufacturers ship on one PO and one invoice. For charter operators, framework supply agreements are available: agreed sizing, lead times, and spares holdings against a season's expected cycle count.
Tell us yacht length, home port, typical berthing pattern, and any aesthetic or branding requirements. We come back with a spec from whichever brand fits — and a quote within four business hours of your enquiry.
Frequently asked questions
Where are SEARAFT and Fendequip fenders manufactured?
SEARAFT is engineered in Nijmegen, Netherlands and built in Europe under parent company Airgroup Industries BV. Fendequip is manufactured in their South West UK facility under the "Made in Britain" trademark by Fendequip Mooring Products Ltd, registered in England.
What is the difference between dropstitch and welded-seam fenders?
Dropstitch fabric uses thousands of high-tensile fibres connecting two parallel fabric layers, allowing higher inflation pressure and flat deflation. Welded-seam construction joins a single-skin bladder along its seams, giving access to multiple material grades (Hypalon, polyurethane, HDPVC) and easier field repair. Dropstitch suits charter operations that need flat storage; welded-seam suits buyers wanting material choice and a published warranty.
How long do inflatable yacht fenders last?
Fendequip publish a 5-year welded-seam guarantee, 5-year fabric warranty (Hypalon and HDPVC), and 10-year UV rating. SEARAFT do not publish a warranty or expected lifespan. Both manufacturers' fenders typically last 6 to 12 Mediterranean seasons with proper care, fresh-water rinsing, and dry storage. Storage between charters in a UV-protected locker is the largest single life-extending factor.
Can I get a yacht name printed on the fender cover?
Yes. Fendequip offers in-house embroidery, print, and laser engraving across their acrylic-wool and neoprene cover ranges. SEARAFT supply yacht-name and charter-brand options on their NEO neoprene covers. Both manufacturers handle the personalisation at production rather than after delivery.
What pressure should I inflate a superyacht fender to?
Working pressures for high-pressure dropstitch and welded-seam fenders sit in the 2–7 psi range. SEARAFT's GE2000 electric inflator targets approximately 5.8 psi for their dropstitch range. Fendequip use the industry-standard Leafield D7 valve and don't publish a single recommended pressure — they pressure-test every fender for 72 hours before despatch as a quality check. Inflate until the surface is taut and holds shape under typical impact; don't over-pressurise.
Are these fenders suitable for commercial or naval vessels?
Yes. SEARAFT publish a "commercial grade" (4 ft and 6 ft diameter) and a "military grade" (8 ft × 10 ft) with uprated material and reinforced seams. Fendequip's Hypalon line is positioned for commercial duty cycles and is fully repairable. Both manufacturers supply support vessels, coast guard, naval auxiliaries, and yard tugs.
How do I service or repair an inflatable fender at sea?
Both manufacturers ship a repair kit with each fender containing patches, adhesive, and valve service tools. Small punctures and seam wear can be field-repaired in roughly 30 minutes. Hypalon (Fendequip) is explicitly designed as fully repairable. For major damage, both manufacturers can ship a replacement to the next port — Mediterranean transit typically 4 to 7 days from the Netherlands (SEARAFT) or the UK (Fendequip).
What is the lead time for ordering?
SEARAFT publish a 7–14 business-day standard lead time for stock sizes; custom sizes and NEO covers run 3–5 weeks. Fendequip don't publish lead times publicly — confirm directly. Mediterranean transit adds 4 to 7 days by road freight from either manufacturer. For charter handovers, both can rush-ship by air freight at extra cost.
Sources: SEARAFT 2025 Fender Brochure; searaft.com; fendequip.com; Goodyear Aerospace dropstitch patents (US 3106373A, 3228426A); ISO 18613 and ISO 6185 inflatable boat material standards. Mercer Yachting publishes this guide as an independent buyer's resource. We purchase from both manufacturers directly and have no exclusivity arrangement with either.